Birds of Saudi Arabia: Lesser Short-toed Lark & Juvenile Collared Pratincole

05 August 2011

Lesser Short-toed Lark & Juvenile Collared Pratincole - Sabkhat Al Fasl

Another early morning start at 04:45 hrs to Sabkha Al Fasl on 4th August. The weather was better than last week and the light mist, caused by the humid weather, soon burnt off. I saw two new species for Saudi Arabia today at Sabkhat, Common Tern and Glossy Ibis both of which I failed to photograph. We also saw a couple of other good birds in the form of a juvenile Collared Pratincole and two Lesser Short-toed Lark. I have seen juvenile Collared Pratincole before but never one so young in early August. There were also a group of about ten White-winged Tern which were not present last week.

Collared Pratincole (juvenile)

Lesser Short-toed Lark

Common Sandpiper

Black-winged Stilt

Kentish Plover

Ruddy Turnstone

Little Ringed Plover

Isabelline Wheatear

Other birds included:-
Marsh Sandpiper - 2
Purple Swamphen - 20
White-cheeked Tern - 1
Little Ringed Plover - 10
Greater Sand Plover - 10
Ruddy Turnstone - 4
Isabelline Wheatear - 1
Black-crowned Night Heron - 1 (juvenile)
Common Moorhen - 300+
Eurasian Coot - 20
Saunder's Tern - 4
Gull-billed Tern - 2
Slender-billed Gull - 6
Little Egret - 4
Indian Reef Heron - 20+
Eurasian Spoonbill - 3 (adult & two juveniles)
Greater Flamingo - 30+